We Found a New Organ?

Mar 02, 2018Ali Chaudry

Has the medical field just found a new organ in our bodies? Well, in his anatomical drawings Leonardo da Vinci initially classified it as one continuous organ. However, now the mesentery which connects your intestines to your abdomen has now been classified as an organ. A few centuries after da Vinci’s classification the mesentery was commonly recognized as fragments of the small intestine, transverse colon and sigmoid colon in the medical field.

However, now thanks to Dr. J. Calvin Coffey from the University of Limerick who has provided compelling evidence proving that the mesentery is not a fragment of the colon or the ileum but one continuous organ.

So, what’s the mesentery primary function? The mesentery carries blood and lymphatic fluid between the intestines and the body. In addition, it holds the position of the intestine by keeping it connected with the abdominal walls without direct contact. This connection ensures that the intestine stays in place while also maintaining flexibility without changing shape. Without the mesentery, the intestines would stretch and collapse depending on your position hence impacting contractions that guide digestion.

Furthermore, the mesentery is thought to play essential roles in intestinal, vascular, endocrine, cardiovascular, and immunological systems. With extensive research, it will be possible to understand the role that the mesentery plays in these systems. For more on the research on mesentery, you can visit here